Compliance Assessment of Welsh River Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) Against Water Quality Targets (2017-2019)
Natural Resources Wales
These data identify the compliance of Welsh river Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) regarding targets for seven water quality attributes: Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Total Ammonia, Unionised Ammonia, Trophic Diatom Index, pH and Acid Neutralising Capacity. The targets and methods of assessment are set at a UK level by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee as published in the Common Standards Guidance for Rivers 2016, and form part of the conservation objectives for the riverine SAC features.
There are nine SACs in Wales with riverine features (known in their respective Core Management Plans as):
- River Dee and Bala Lake
- Afon Gwyrfai a Llyn Cwellyn
- Coedydd Derw a Safleoedd Ystlumod Meirion (Afon Glaslyn)
- Afon Eden - Cors Goch Trawsfynydd
- Afon Teifi
- Afonydd Cleddau
- Afon Tywi
- River Usk
- River Wye
For the purposes of water quality reporting, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) divides rivers into units called water bodies. A total of 119 (of a possible 127) water bodies, each with a single sampling point, were assessed for one or more attribute.
Water quality data collected by NRW’s routine surveillance monitoring programme for a three-year period (1st of January 2017 – 31st December 2019) were extracted from the NRW water quality database (KiWQM) to assess compliance with targets.
Data was not available for all attributes for all water bodies due to the risk-based design of NRW’s monitoring programmes. The majority of water bodies were assessed for more than one attribute. All data was subject to robust quality assurance processes. Data collection and analysis methodologies were undertaken in line with NRW’s standard guidance. Full methods are presented in the accompanying report.
Attribution statement
Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights Reserved. Contains Ordnance Survey Data. Ordnance Survey Licence number AC0000849444. Crown Copyright and Database Right.
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- Type:
- Spatial data
- Category:
- Environment
- Publication date:
- 11 January 2024
- Licence:
- Open Government Licence for Public Sector Information (OGL)
-
Copyright:
- Point of contact:
- opendata@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
- Language
- English